One of the benefits of being able to review Blu-Ray discs is that you are often exposed to very good films that you not have otherwise been aware of. Getting to the theater with kids can often be difficult, so the ability to view films with high def video and lossless audio at home can be a wonderful experience. However, for every great title you get to enjoy, you have to sit through a few clunkers. I guess you have to take the bad with the good. Vanishing Point is the type of film that I would likely not get the chance to view were it not for the review process. The question is, whether it will prove to be one of those nuggets that I am happy to have come across or one of the clunkers.

Film 

Thankfully, Vanishing Point proved to not be a clunker. The film stars Barry Newman as a character named Kowalski who is a former race car driver and policeman who is now employed as a car delivery man in Denver who out of the blue and for no discernible reason, decides that he has to deliver a 1970 Dodge Challenger to a buyer in San Francisco, California in 15 hours. As he speeds his way from Denver, Colorado to California, he is chased by various members of several state highway patrols, none of which are skillful enough drivers to capture him. Along the way, he encounters various individuals, from a would be racer to two gay men who attempt to rob him at gunpoint.

At first, glance, the film appears to be nothing more than a mindless chase film. The front cover of the movie packaging proclaims Vanishing Point to be The Ultimate Car Chase Movie. In that regard, I would have to disagree. By today’s standards (the film was released in 1971), the chase sequences in this film are rather mundane. In fact, the chase sequences even pale in comparison to those in Smokey and the Bandit. However, once you get past some of the crazier characters and the bevy of naked and semi naked women, you begin to realize that this is a very existential film about spirituality and the meaning of life.

You begin to notice this with Kowalski’s flashbacks to incidents that occurred earlier in life, as a race car driver and police officer and the death of his lover in a surfing accident. It becomes more apparent after you begin to see more of the character Super Soul (Cleavon Little) who plays a blind disc jockey who becomes aware of the chase across the desert by the police and who turns Kowalski into something of a media sensation. Super Soul even refers to Kowalski as the last American hero as if he is a figure of greater significance than he would otherwise appear to be.

What becomes really interesting is when it becomes apparent that Super Soul seems to be able to communicate with Kowalski on an individual level, being able to read his mind and anticipate his actions and motivations and seemingly guiding him forward almost like a guardian angel to some spiritual revelation. This guidance culminates in the films’ final sequence where Kowalski drives into the light in what is a very surprise ending. While the chase sequences here did get a little tedious after a bit, the film does begin to draw you in as you try to figure out what Kowalski’s motivations are and what will be his ultimate fate.

Vanishing Point has become somewhat of a cult classic over the years and while not doing well at all in the US after its release, it proved to be a commercial success in the UK as well as Europe. In fact, this release contains two versions of the film, the US theatrical release and the version released in the UK. While this is not the type of film that I would want to watch over and over again, it is an enjoyable and thought provoking film and one that I would recommend you experience on the basis of a rental.

Video 

While I enjoyed the film, I can’t say I was pleased with the video quality. The film is encoded with AVC and is presented in its original aspect ratio and looks every bit its age. The film has a natural if a bit subdued and undersaturated color palette. However, black levels are below average as its the level of sharpness and detail. In fact, the overall image here is quite soft, especially the distant shots which are really only a tad better than DVD quality. Film grain appears to be intact. However, I was able to detect a few instances of dirt on the print which is really in the need of a good restoration. Simply pit, the film lacks the clarity, detail and three dimensionality that I have come to expect from newer films released on Blu-ray and has a cloudiness or fuzziness that is more reminiscent of standard old DVD rather than high def.

Audio  

While I was disappointed with the video presentation, I was a bit surprised by the quality of the audio given the age of the film. The release includes a 5.1 lossless mix encoded with DTS HD Master Audio along with English, French and Spanish mono tracks. I can only assume that the film’s original sound design was in mono given the three mono tracks and the overall fidelity of the sound. Given the age of the film and the original sound design, the 5.1 mix here is better than I expected, with the chase scene sound effects of cars and trucks whizzing towards you and to your left and right being pretty effective. The dialogue track is fairly well recorded and well placed in the mix. Where the mix falls a bit short for me is in the overall fidelity of the sound which is a bit thin and harsh without much in the way of depth. I would rate the transparency and imaging here below average as is also the case for the bass which is a bit wobbly and ill defined. Given the age of the film and the the fact that it appears to originally have been a mono recording, the lossless track here is better than what I would have otherwise expected. I really doubt whether a better lossless track could have been included given the limitations of the original master.

Special Features 

As a film buff,there is really little that interested me in the extras included with this release. The extras included the usual suspects including a director’s commentary and the theatrical trailer for the film as well as several TV spots. The usual featurettes are included including Built for Speed: A look Back at Vanishing Point, a featurette on the Super Soul character and a look back at the Dodge Challenger muscle car in the 0A-5599 featurette. Also included is a virtual dashboard and interactive 1970 Dodge Challenger video game which gamers may find enjoyable. Also included is a Vanishing Point trivia challenge as well as a Cars, Cops and Culture ’70′s. The film is also enhanced for D-Box Motion Control systems. Of all the extras, the only one that I would recommend is the one about the history of the film. It is always interesting to learn about the history of a film, especially one that has become a cult classic. As for the rest, I cana’t really say you are missing anything if you skip them in their entirety.

Final Thoughts 

While I enjoyed the film, it is not the type of film that I would want to watch more than once or maybe twice. That along with the quality of the video and audio presentations leads me to recommend that you view this title in the basis of a rental only.